SAN DIEGO, CA - JULY 12: Actors Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart speak onstage at "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2" during Comic-Con International 2012 at San Diego Convention Center on July 12, 2012 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Lionsgate)

Kristen Stewart cheats with married director … or did she?

Late Tuesday night, celebrity news sites shattered the world of many a young “Twilight” fan with a damning report that Kristen Stewart cheated on her boyfriend and costar of several years, Robert Pattinson.

Both People magazine and Us Weekly ran stories alleging that Stewart was engaged in an extra-marital affair with Sanders, and photos from a July 17 vehicular tryst made their way online. The pair were confusingly careless during their moment of passion, since they were photographed in Stewart’s car in broad daylight in the middle of paparazzi-friendly Los Angeles.

Stewart confirmed the rumors Wednesday by issuing a public apology to Pattinson:

“I’m deeply sorry for the hurt and embarrassment I’ve caused to those close to me and everyone this has affected. This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I’m so sorry.”

So far, Sanders has yet to make a public apology* to his children and wife, British model and actress Liberty Ross, who played Stewart’s mother in “Snow White and the Huntsman.”

In what will surely be an awkward and tense set, “Snow White and the Huntsman” is moving forward with a sequel, which Stewart, Sanders and Ross are all attached to.

Pattinson has remained silent so far, and the state of his relationship with Stewart is unclear. The pair will have to spend weeks together this fall when they hit the promotional trail for “Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2,” the final movie in the franchise that opens in November. Can you say “awkward”?

HOWEVER. Many intrepid Internet crazies jumped to Stewart’s defense by claiming that the alleged photographic proof of the affair is Photoshopped.

Much like the investigators of the Zapruder film — only with a celebrity sex “scandal” — Twihards laid out several different conspiracy theories about the photos and the now-proven rendezvous. Here are some of the best hypotheses:

The photo on the cover of Us Weekly of Rupert Sanders embracing Kristen Stewart from behind is not actually Kristen Stewart. The woman in the arms of Sanders is actually his wife, British model Liberty Ross.

As you can see from these four photos, this Tumblr drew a handy diagram that suggests Stewart’s face was lifted and placed onto the body of Ross. The proof is in the hairline: Notice the red line that goes from the Us cover to Ross on the bottom right. A cautious observer could see how the hairline might look like Ross’ than Stewart’s.

The photos of Stewart and Sanders were totally staged, because Stewart is actually a lesbian. One commenter even suggested that she had a fling with Charlize Theron during the filming of “Snow White and the Huntsman.” If you look closely, you can just feel the sexual tension in this photo of the two during press rounds for the film.

Kristen Stewart blatantly hooked up with Sanders in public to rid herself of a fake public relations relationship with Pattinson. Allegedly, their relationship was created for the sake of the “Twilight” franchise and now that it is over, Stewart no longer wants to be linked with him.

Alas, “Twilight” fans, it seems that the substantiated reports in People and Us are true, given that Stewart all but verified that the photos are real.

*UPDATE: Now that he’s been caught with his pants down, Sanders is really super sorry about it and has issued a statement: “I am utterly distraught about the pain I have caused my family. My beautiful wife and heavenly children are all I have in this world. I love them with all my heart. I am praying that we can get through this together.”